How a network of non-profit organisations, co-operatives and companies captured the department’s “sustainable livelihoods” budget
12 December 2024 | By Daniel Steyn and Raymond Joseph
Extract
Extract
Ubonyoninco, Pink Power Trading and Masinya Trading are all owned by Amanath Soorju. He was once the human resources director in the Department of Social Development, but left the department about a decade before the events described here.
According to the forensic audit report, Soorju’s companies were allocated a total of R28.5-million for dignity pack supplies and R32.4-million for food. The three companies submitted quotations, which were assessed by Maphosa and his colleagues, and all three were allocated funds via non-profit organisations.
Speaking to GroundUp, Soorju described Maphosa as a “friend” but denied there was a conflict of interest. He said he did not know that the non-profit organisations he supplied were instructed by Maphosa to contract his companies. He said that he dealt directly with the organisations, not with the department.
The investigators also found invoices for Maphosa’s education at Cranefield College, addressed to Soorju. Soorju denied that he paid for Maphosa’s studies and said it is possible his name was still on the invoicing system from when he was HR director at the department and in charge of the bursary programme.
GroundUp has also found that Soorju, in 2015, sold a property to Maphosa in Magaliesberg, down the road from another property which Soorju was considering renting to Isidwedwe Clothing Co-operative to start an abattoir.
That cooperative also received funds from both the Gauteng Department of Social Development and the Gauteng Department of Agriculture. One of the directors of the cooperative, which Soorju denies being involved in, is Mpumelelo Nhlapo.
Nhlapo was also a director of both Morithi Wa Sechaba, a non-profit organisation that received tens of millions from the department for a range of programmes, and Impoqo Trading, a private company that was paid more than R240-million for dignity packs and food by various department-funded organisations on instruction by Maphosa.
The Bowmans report reveals allegations by a whistleblower that Nhlapo had paid for Maphosa’s trip to Dubai. Although this could not be fully proven, the investigators found in Maphosa’s emails an invitation letter from a Dubai-based company, addressed to Maphosa and Nhlapo, as well as full-fare business class tickets for Nhlapo, which Maphosa had emailed to himself.
Nhlapo declined GroundUp’s request for comment.
Read the full article here:
Views: 9